Iron cord guide



Fl J. AVES IRON com: GUIDE Filed March 12, 1946 June 6, 1950 INVENTO RFRED J. AVE-5 AT TORN EY Patented June 6, 1950 IRDN CORD GUIDE Fred J.Aves, Beverly Hills, Calif., assignor to Vincent Marco, Los Angeles,Calif.

Application March 12, 1946, Serial No. 653,842

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for guiding and retrieving theconductor cord of an electric flat iron. It relates specifically to thattype of cord guide and retriever in which the cord passes through ahollow guide member and then through a coil spring one end of which isanchored to the guide member and the other end of which is attached tothe cord. While a number of attempts have been made previously toprovide a guide and retriever of this general type, they have not provensuccessful. The general object of the present invention is to provide acombined guide and retriever of this type which is efficient inoperation, simply constructed, relatively inexpensive, and attractive inappearance.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a retriever and guidemember which is adapted to support the iron cord with the slack portionthereof extending generally downwardly therefrom and with a portion thatextends from the guide to the arm being supported in a generallyhorizontal position, To this end, the invention provides a guide memberhaving an arcuate guide channel one end of which is directedhorizontally and the other end of which is directed downwardly. Tofacilitate the movement of the cord through the guide channel, there isprovided a single roller which provides a portion of the bottom of thechannel. This roller is so positioned that it carries the majority ofthe weight of the cord in the arched position that the cord willnaturally assume in passing through the guide.

Provision is made for the guide to pivot on a vertical axis so that itmay always point in the direction of the iron. This avoids the necessityfor the cord bending in a horizontal direction.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a structureincorporating the functional characteristics set forth above, and onethat is extremely easy to assemble. This is accomplished by forming theguide member in symmetrical sections. Each section incorporates half ofa vertical bearing for a post on which the guide member is swiveled;half of a socket in which a head on the upper end of the post is encasedso as to prevent removal of the guide member from the post; half of asocket for the anti-friction roller, and half of a neck region in whichthe end of the coil spring member is anchored. A single rivet orequivalent fastening device is employed for securing the sectionstogether, and the engagement of the coil spring in the neck region,together with the engagement of the post member in its bearing andsocket, or either of these engagements, serves to prevent displacementof the two sections relative to each other about the axis of thesecuring element.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple construction forattaching the post member to a spring yoke member to form a bracket thatcan be readily attached to an ironing board.

Other objects will become apparent in the ensuing specification andappended drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an ironing board with an electric fiatiron supported thereon and with my improved cord guide and retrieverattached thereto;

Fig, 2 is a rear elevation of the cord guide;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the guide and retrievertaken on the symmetrical median plane thereof;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view thereof taken on the linel4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view thereof taken on the line5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the guide member and adjacent parts.

As an example of one form in which the invention may be embodied I haveshown in the drawing a cord guide and retriever embodying generally abracket member I which may be attached to the end of an ironing board 8as shown in Fig. 1, a guide member 9 swiveled upon the upper end of thebracket 1. and a retrieving member in the form of a coil spring HJ oneend of which is anchored to the guide member 9 and the other end ofwhich is secured, by a clip II, to the iron cord I2.

The clip may be attached to the cord I 2 near the point where the latterenters the strain relief device |3 of the flat iron M. The spring I0 isa low tension spring. its length being so correlated to the gauge of thewire from which it is made as to offer minimum resistance to movement ofthe fiat iron 14 and provide just sufiicient pull to draw the cord 52back to the guide member 9 whenever the flat iron I i is moved towardthe guide member. The spring is of sufiicient length to permit the ironto be moved freely to the remote end of the board 8,

The guide 9 has a guide channel l5 which is arcuate in shape so as toprovide one end that is directed horizontally and an opposite end whichconstitutes a downwardly opening mouth H5. The radius of the channel l 5is such as to permit the cord 52 to assume a natural bend resulting fromthe weight of its slack portion depending from the mouth 16 which bendis suificiently gradual so that it does not interfere with the freemoveoccasionally slide with a minimum of frictional resistance.

The guide 9 is provided with a neck region 22 forming the horizontallydirected extremity of the guide channel I5. The butt end of the coilspring I!) is anchored in the guide member by. having an enlargedterminal coil received in an annular channel 2'? in the neck region 22.

The shank portion of the post 2| is journalled in a cylindrical bearing23 in the guide member 9, and the post is secured against withdrawalfrom the guide member by the socketing of the head 21] in the socket i9.

The bracket 1 is constructed very simply yet effectively by utilizing aspring yoke 25 having .in one corner thereof an opening 2'! to receivethe post 2|. A portion of the post is extended alongside the web portion28 of the bracket 25, and is spot welded thereto as indicated at as andFig. 2 The spot weld 29 and the wall of the opening 21 provide spacedpoints of support through which the post 2! is rigidly secured to theyoke 25. The fingers of the yoke 26 straddle the upper and lowersurfaces of the ironing board 8 and engage the same with sufiicientpressure to securely hold the bracket in place.

The axis of the bearing '23 is located adjacent the mouth 56 so that themajority of the guide member 9 lies on that side of the swivel axis fromwhich the spring Hi projects, whereby the guide member may respond withmaximum ease to the lateral swinging of the spring 19. This arrangementalso makes it possible for the roller l; to be accommodated between theswivel socket Hi and the neck region 22, with maximum room for theroller.

Employment of an integral head 2!) on the post 2!, and a socket andbearing to fit these members, contributes greatly to the sought aftersimplicity of construction. The clamping of the butt end of the springI!) directly in threads formed in the guide member 8 also contributes tosimplicity.

These features are made possible by constructing the guide member 9 intwo sections each of which provides a half of the guide channel l5,socket l9, bearing 23, recess l8 and neck region 22. The two sectionsare secured together by a pin 24 which extends through the respectivesections nd through the roller H, and which has heads received inrecesses 25 in the respective sections. Pin 24 may be a bolt, screw, orrivet. It serves the dual function of securing the sections together andproviding a shaft on which the roller 11 may rotate.

The engagement of the butt end of the spring 4 ID in the neck region 22functions not only to anchor the spring to the guide member but also tohold the two sections of the guide member against displacement relativeto each other about the axis of the pin 24.

The assembly of the parts of the device is accomplished very simply byengaging the butt end of the spring 10 between the halves of the neckregion 22, engaging the post 2! between the halves of the bearing '23and socket I9, and passing the pin through the respective sections andthrough the roller I! which has previously been inserted in the recessH3. The pin 24 is then riveted to secure the parts together, and theassembly is complete.

I claim as my invention:

1. An iron cord device comprising a bracket having a cylindrical postprovided at its upper end with a head, a guide member comprising twosections each including a portion of a cylindrical bearing in which saidpost is journalled and a portion of a socket in which said head isengaged to secure the guide device against removal, and means securingsaid sections together.

2. An iron cord guide and retrieving device comprising a pair of guidesections each having a portion of a guide channel formed therein andeach having a portion of an internal annular recess therein, a coiledretrieving. spring having a coil fitted into said recess and therebyanchored, and means securing said guide members together and clampedupon said coil.

3. An iron cord guide and retrieving device comprising a bracket havinga post, a guide member comprising a pair of sections each providing aportion of a bearing in which said post is swiveled, a portion of aguide channel, a portion of an internal recess in a neck regioncommunicating with one end of said channel, and a portion of a socketcommunicating with an intermediate region of said channel, a retrievingcoil spring having at its butt end coil clamped in said recess andthereby anchored to the guide member, an anti-friction roller disposedin said socket and having a periphery defining at least a portion of oneside of said guide channel, and a pin upon which said roller isjournalled, said pin extending through the respective sections andacting as a means for securing them together with the sections clampedupon the butt end of the spring and thereby secured against displacementrelative to each other about the axis of said pin.

FRED J. AVES.

REFERENSES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 994,605 Ricks June 6, 19111,943,134 McKesson Jan. 9, 1934 1,943,136 Moser Jan. 9, 1934 2,034,510Esch Mar. 17, 1936 2,190,108 Crammond Feb. 13, 1940

